This invention relates in general to weapon systems and, more specifically, to a submunition dispensing system especially adapted for attacking airfield landing strips.
The ability to destroy enemy airfields or to render them at least temporarily unusable is of utmost importance in resisting a non-nuclear attack. An attacking armored force is extremely vulnerable in the absence of air cover. Therefore, a number of weapon systems has been developed for use in a conventional airfield attack mission.
Single or small numbers of large munitions, delivered by aircraft or ballistic missiles, have a number of disadvantages. High accuracy necessary to significantly damage an airfield is difficult to achieve with longer range ballistic missiles, or with aircraft attacking a well-defended target. The small number of relatively large damaged areas produced is relatively easy to repair, and often aircraft can continue to use portions of an airfield having a few damaged areas.
Attempts have been made to deliver a larger number of submunitions by ballistic missiles or aircraft to increase the size of the damaged or destroyed areas. However, submunitions delivered by ballistic missiles tend to land in an approximately round pattern and cannot be caused to land evenly along an elongated landing strip or taxiway. Submunitions delivered by aircraft tend to fall in a narrow line. It is difficult to vary the pattern width of submunition landing points to accommodate landing strips of different dimensions.
Ideally, submunitions will strike the landing strip in lines across the width of the strip, with impact points sufficiently closely spaced to prevent use by aircraft. A number of such lateral cuts spaced along the length of the strip will render the entire strip unusable and will be difficult and time-consuming to repair.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved submunition dispensing systems for the conventional airfield attack mission.